I dare you to "Beat this!", Party-/Player Setup versus AI

[Osvir]

 

Let's do this. What kind of strategy did you use? (For us Members) reveal your strategies that you use against the Enemy AI (The Enemy AI is, in this case, the Developers Strategy that we so love to exploit).

 

Reveal thine Strategy oh Forum Role-Poster.

 

From this thread:

http://forums.obsidi...s/page__st__100

The classes are locked in already - they are Fighter, Priest, Wizard, Rogue, Druid, Ranger, Paladin, Monk, Barbarian, Chanter and Cipher.

 

 

~***********~

COMBAT

• Fighter: A Fighter is someone who is great at fighting with close-ranged weapons. Has several roles, including Sword & Board, Dual-Wielding, Two-Handed. Tanking (or "Defending") as well as Offensive abilities.
  

Osvir's Fighter/The AI Challenge:

A Tank that dishes out a lot of damage, main tank that likes to take all enemies at once.

• Paladin: A zealous warrior, a Knight. For simplicity; a religious Fighter who has devoted some of his skill in weapons to Faith (which empowers him). A Paladin can be seen as a Support Role, but should mainly have buff spells for himself that empowers him through Faith.
  

Osvir's Paladin/The AI Challenge:

A Supportive Tank, Healing and Tanking/Close-Ranged Fighter. I always make my Paladin a Hammerdin.

• Barbarian: The Barbarian is not necessarily a Mountain Warrior, but a Berserker. With Wild Strength (its counterpart: Wild Magic) the Barbarian overcomes his foes and enemies. Often a big Brute/Dude/Gal with many muscular features. Their near superhuman strength allows less armor as their flesh can not be cut with an ordinary Soldier's steel (mechanically I could see them take reduced damage from enemies below [Level+14 Strength]). A Barbarian is most proficient in Two-Handed weapons and Dual-Wielding, and not as excelling with a Sword & Board (Could a Flagellant aspect of the Barbarian introduce a reason to why the Barbarian favors Lighter Armor? Perhaps taking Damage enrages the Barbarian? Dungeons of Dredmor (5$ something on Steam) is a simple quick-starting parody game but it has a lot of fun interesting abilities, Barbarian Rage included which gives some sort of Bonus when you get hit.
  

Osvir's Barbarian/The AI Challenge:

Close-Ranged Hulk that does nothing but as much damage as possible next to a Fighter. Minsc fills this role for me in spirit even though he is a Ranger I feel he fits better as a "Berserker" (note: Not Barbarian).

 

• Ranger: A man or woman of the wilds, a hunter (could be similar to those raised in a hut or field close to a forest and lived out their days like farmers, cut off from society). Self-Nurturing, proficient with long-range weapons as they are natural born Hunters. Good tracking skills.
  

Osvir's Ranger/The AI Challenge:

A "Forester", can give me a "chunk" of text if I use a "Search" ability which tells me a little about the area I am in, signs of enemies and signs of clues. Apart from the roleplaying tidbit an excellent sharp-shooter with a bow.

 

 

~***********~

MAGIC

• Wizard: A Wizard is a Student of the Arcane, a Scientist one could say. Their strength lies in their ability to cast Magic and deduce Enchanted Magical Items. They can take on many forms as both Philosophy and Personality shapes the powers of a full-blown Wizard.
  

Osvir's Wizard/The AI Challenge:

The Wizard is mostly my Boss fighter and Crowd Control number 1 Tactical Squad. Excels probably better than anyone (probably the only one) to take out an army of enemies at once. A power house that generally does nothing except Identify items and bosses

• Priest: The Priest (or Cleric) is, in all its irony, a Religious Witch/Wizard using his/her powers for the good of her Religion and Faith. With the power to close wounds and cure diseases with his/her spells. Can do some close-combat and act carefully as a tank or a 2nd Sub-Tank (A Subtitute "Substitute Tank") in worst case scenarios. Can wear Plate Mail but not Full Plate Mail in Baldur's Gate (AFAIR- as far as I recall).
  

Osvir's Priest/The AI Challenge:

My Priests are always female btw, "

" haha*: I keep her close to the front line and try to act as a "Hit&Run" as the AI usually targets her. Kind of Baiting and of course act as a Main Healer. I would love to see a Janna role where I can throw instant magical Shields on my party members to skillfully mitigate or negate damage that 1 low level enemy does for 1 attack; as a Rare ability.

• Druid: A Wizard of the Land, in simple terms. Attune with "Mother Earth" the Druid is contracted with Nature to protect and serve it for the Greater Balance. A great tracker and wilderness expert, but unlike the Ranger who sees the Land, the Druid knows the Land from a completely different perspective. The Druid can feel the leaves and the disturbance within them, whilst the Ranger sees that the leaves have been disturbed by a nearby troll. A Master with the Staff (Could the Staff be like the Grimoire, but for Druids? Wizard's would still be able to use a Staff and cast Magic, the Druid would just be better suited with it, just like the Wizard is better suited with a Grimoire~if that's how you intend to build it).
  

Osvir's Druid/The AI Challenge:

My Druid is a semi-close range Fighter/Healer. With a Staff I have my Druid behind two tanks and my Druid fights "between" them with thrusts. If any enemy tries to run past my front line, she'll wack them. I'm also using the Druid as a sort of "Flank Support" in combination with the Rogue together with some summoned beasts to surprise my enemy).

• Cip[Her: I know little of the Cipher in actual gameplay, never tried it in Wizardry 8 (which is the only Wizardry I've tried after several recommendations) but I'm intrigued. To my understand it is a sort of "Psionic" with Telepathic abilities. Why I put it as a Magic user and not a Support role is because Telepathy is in all it's glory Mysterious Magic I would like to say. With the power to cause severe illusions or blast some mental power with a spell like "Mindblow", persuade your opponents like a Boss Jedi-Sith Master or even Dominate them entirely (I dearly hope that most of the Cipher's abilities are channeled).
  

Osvir's Cipher/The AI Challenge:

Lol? I'll take over your Monster A and slap Monster B with it. I'll disorient and distract the opponents as much as possible. If there is a more supportive role for it I can imagine it "empowering" your group with "Thoughts" or even be able to channel itself to make your Fighter more combat effective. Perhaps even act somewhat like a Blue Mage

 

~***********~

SUPPORT

• Rogue: I generally don't use the Rogue much in battle, he/she tends to become a Support Role out of combat for things like "Lockpicking", "Scouting" or "Pickpocket". The Rogue is adept with a Sling, Daggers and Short-Bow (I've tried all combinations), diverse and unpredictable. Throwing Daggers focus would be amazingly great, making the Rogue more Circus-y (Which might be a great place to look for inspiration). A Vagabond, a Traveler. I'd like to see the Rogue being the Main Crafter class in physical things (Repair/Equipment Maintanence, Herbalism, Cooking).
  

Osvir's Rogue/The AI Challenge:

This class is usually my "assessment" class, I assess the situation ahead of where I'm at right now. Is there enemies around the next corner? What spells do I need to prepare? Are there any traps between where I'm at and the enemies? Sometimes I even engage a fight with the Rogue as well, sometimes I keep him at a distance with a Short-Bow. A class I often (like the Priest) use to Bait. Definitely could use some upgrades, but I think it is quite fine as it is. A Sneak Attack once a battle could be a tactical advantage.

• Chanter: The Bard many say, I would say a Religious Bard who not only chants stories, but stories of powerful Value. In a sense I group this class together with the Cipher, or a Priest in a sense. Sings songs to put terror in your enemies, which can terrorize your own group as well, or set hope in the hearts of your group (Look at Sona in League of Legends as inspiration).
  

Osvir's Chanter/The AI Challenge:

Someone who just stands around and sings in the middle of the group formation. This would be like a Center, a Heart if you will, of the Group. This Class needs to be taken down fast because he/she stands and buff's the entire party, and if this position is broken I might find myself in a bit of an odd position (tactically) where my front line is cut off from my back line, leaving my Wizard and Ranger in trouble. I want the enemies not to focus this class 100%, but it should be one of the main focuses for Archers and similar because if this Class becomes anything like I explained this Class could very well make your party feel like they are 1 or 2 levels above what they actually are

• Monk: The Monk is an unnarmed unarmored Kung Fu fist fighter, with the strength to shatter teeth, break bones, numb muscles, disarm, stun, knockback and "grapple**" opponents in various ways, swiftly and deftly by the use of quick punches and skillful technique placements. The Monk doesn't do too much damage, and takes much damage from not being a "Heavy Armor" character, and merely enters the battle to make targets easier to hit for the rest of the group (**Note: I know there aren't going to be any grappling animations, which does not exclude a Grapple ability).
  

Osvir's Monk/The AI Challenge:

I was advocating that Monk's are no longer Monk's in another thread but to be honest I've never really tried the Monk much in Baldur's Gate, mostly because I died so fast with the build I was trying so I can only throw arm chair suggestions really. I feel that the Monk should be very adept and have an innate ability to "Re-invigorate" my fallen companions when they are knocked unconscious by giving them "Chi" or whatever and that he/she should be mostly a support role, rather than a fighter, and Obsidian has stated they want to try something new with it. How will the AI react to this new Monk and how should it?

 

Make a party, minimal of 4 Party Members max of 6. Give them roles, how would you use them in, e.g., Baldur's Gate.

What do you want Obsidian to exploit in your own Strategy?

TL;DC;GOWIA (Too Long; Didn't Care; Get On With It Already): Format:

 

Osvir's Group (In Order):

A)Fighter: Offensive Tank

B)Paladin: Supportive Healer Tank

C)Druid: (Reach) Combat Healer

D)Rogue: Short-Bow/Dagger, Scout, Trap Finder

E)Wizard: Powerhouse, Sling, Crowd Control

F)Ranger: Longbow, Search

 

Simple Formation:

[Front] A) C) E) [back]

[Front] B) D) F) [back]

 

Question

What would you focus first?

This thread has the intent of creating material for Obsidian, so that they know what they are up against. Basically we reveal our Tactics and Strategy and Obsidian can use that against us and even find weak spots to create more of a challenge*

 

*Let's say you love to play with a strong Main Tank (like I do) and a Sub Tank, revealing your strategy could let Obsidian create an AI against your tactic (so instead when you remove your Main Tank from the battle and then return him/her to it, the Main Tank might have trouble getting the "aggro" back and/or the AI might even focus your Healer etc. etc.).

 

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read): Talking about creating AI material/Revealing strategies that Obsidian can exploit and use against us~

[Osvir]

Another party combination. Note that this is quite a different build from the one above. This group is similar to the other group in the ways that I focus all my Damage into one Class and all of my Healing into one class (instead of spreading it around like the previous Build). This Build is more vulnerable in the sense that I don't have much of a "Substitute" if one of them goes down.

 

Osvir's Group (In Order):

 

A)Fighter: Offensive Tank

B)Barbarian: Damage

C)Priest: Healer

D)Rogue: Short-Bow/Dagger, Scout, Trap Finder

E)Chanter: Group Buffer, Channeling/Singing good vibes

F)Cip[Her: Mind-Control

 

Simple Formation:

 

[Front] x) C) D) [back]

[Front] B) x) E) [back]

[Front] x) A) F) [back]

 

C) will have an open position to heal B, D, E and A. C can also defend D, or D can save C.

A) a good position to defend both F and E.

B) In an open front-figure position, but is also the plug (weak spot),

if I move B upwards/downwards I exploit my E.

D) To protect E and C.

F) Long-Range Magic (I hope)

E) The Center/Heart of the Party.

 

EDIT: Somewhat unrelated but related:

 

I want a Party to function like a "Body" with "Limbs". In the above Party it would look something like this:

 

A) Is the Shield/Body/Constitution

B) Is the Arms/Damage/Strength

C) Is the Wisdom/Insight

D) Is the Eyes and Feet/Dexterity

E) Is the Heart/Center/Abdomen/Charisma (My singing teacher used to say "Sing from the abdomen, from the stomach!")

F) Is the Mind/Intelligence

Edited November 7, 2012 by Osvir

[quechn1tlan]

I can't seem to understand what the thread is about. Some fantasy league rpg, or something?

But it's not the point. I'm pretty sure that they said that Paladins are not necessairily religious in PE world and I came here just to say that. I see them close to Sturm from Dragonlance, not Forgotten Realms Paladins.

 

 

Paladins are extremely devoted, often fanatical, soldiers who have pledged themselves to a chosen cause, combining the zeal of a priest with the ascetic discipline of a monk. They have founded many elite fighting forces, from the original Darcozzi Paladini, a two thousand year-old order of palace guards, to the fledgling Fellows of St. Waidwen Martyr, zealous defenders of the Godhammer pilgrim trail. Often found at the vanguard of many conflicts, paladins are natural leaders and have the ability to quickly assist their allies with targeted commands. A paladin's commands can stave off impending death, overcome fatigue, or hasten the charge to close breached defenses. And though they are not always pledged to the service of a god or gods, paladins are so singularly focused on their chosen cause that their souls are continually creating a wellspring of spiritual energy from which they can blast groups of foes in their immediate vicinity. Despite their often stoic presence and explosive combat style, paladins work best alongside allies. When isolated, they can be vulnerable, especially against singular powerful foes.

 

Edited November 7, 2012 by quechn1tlan

[Osvir]

I can't seem to understand what the thread is about. Some fantasy league rpg, or something?

 

No and yes.

 

What kind of tactic did you use in Baldur's Gate? What kind of strategy and tactic do you want to use?

 

Obsidian is developing a game, and I just think that it might help them develop a good AI if they know how we play. For instance, if I always have a pesky little Godlike Archer in the backrow that is unreachable and I can just pluck enemies one after another, if I reveal this strategy to Obsidian there is a chance that they could directly code one or a few enemies to react to that and/or against that, posing more of a challenge for me or whoever else exploits this "Archer tactic".

 

An AI is, simply put, "Player versus Developer".

Edited November 7, 2012 by Osvir

[quechn1tlan]

Allright then. Just recently I've beaten IWD2 with this sort of party:

1- Paladin n\Fighter 4

2- Cleric of Tempus n

3- Rogue 1\ W. Enchanter n

4- Bard 11\ Sorcerer n (This one I botched. Would be better to have a barbarian or a pure sorcerer or a pure bard instead)

 

Paladin and cleric were front row fighters in heavy armour, Wizard was wielding a heavy repeating crossbow\casting from behind and the bard was mostly just running around giving +1 attack and 2- DR. Plus all three: cleric, wizard, bard were summoning stuff here and there.

 

In BG, since it's not too difficult on D&D core difficulty I tend to choose my party mostly for roleplaying, not tactical reasons.

Edited November 7, 2012 by quechn1tlan

[Juneau]

Having started IWD2 again I have a vague remembrance that when I played it originally my party was as follows;

 

Paladin - Main Damage Soaker

Rogue - Lockpick / Dodge

Ranger - Pure ranged damage

Ranger - Pure ranged damage

Sorcerer - Pure charisma/diplomat - Think I had shield ability

 

And I literally went down the rain death upon everyone as they closed the gap and used my Paladin to intercept those closing the range and if they got too close my Rogue had dodge and acted as a buffer for the rangers and sorcerer.

[Hellfell]

*mind blown*

 

Ok, so my character will be godlike cipher because NO other game has this race and class.

 

A) a sword and board fighter dwarf with battle axe to take damage and drink ale

B) two handed greatsword amaumauma (lul, if they look nice, if not then human) barbarian to deal damage

C) dagger/shortbow Orlan rogue (if they look nice, if not then elf)

D) godlike or human priest for support

E) elven wizard for AOE and artillery

F) godlike cipher for crowd control and debuff/confusion (PC)

 

If cipher can be full damage dealer then wizard can be changed to elven ranger.

 

I gues this would be my party I used only companions hall

[Osvir]

THIS POST FOR OBSIDIAN STATEMENTS ON CLASSES

 

More info on classes:

http://eternitywiki.com/Eternity_Wiki

 

Quotes from Kickstarter:

http://www.kickstart...ty/posts?page=3

Paladins

 

are extremely devoted, often fanatical, soldiers who have pledged themselves to a chosen cause, combining the zeal of a priest with the ascetic discipline of a monk. They have founded many elite fighting forces, from the original Darcozzi Paladini, a two thousand year-old order of palace guards, to the fledgling Fellows of St. Waidwen Martyr, zealous defenders of the Godhammer pilgrim trail. Often found at the vanguard of many conflicts, paladins are natural leaders and have the ability to quickly assist their allies with targeted commands. A paladin's commands can stave off impending death, overcome fatigue, or hasten the charge to close breached defenses. And though they are not always pledged to the service of a god or gods, paladins are so singularly focused on their chosen cause that their souls are continually creating a wellspring of spiritual energy from which they can blast groups of foes in their immediate vicinity. Despite their often stoic presence and explosive combat style, paladins work best alongside allies. When isolated, they can be vulnerable, especially against singular powerful foes.

 

 

Chanters

 

can be found in almost any culture, but are most often seen in communities with a strong oral tradition. They are repositories of folk knowledge and common wisdom, tellers of tall tales and hallowed legends. Though chanters have a bit of minor talent in traditional arts of combat and soul-based magic, their true power lies in their chants. Chanters construct chants from individual iconic phrases and rhyming couplets they have memorized from hundreds of stories and poems, creating a chain of magical effects that plays out over time. While chanters do use the power of their souls to work their magic, chants are exhortations to the unconscious memory of wayward souls and the diffused spiritual energy of the world. That is, ambient spirits respond to the evocation of ancient, common story elements and play their part in reconstructing the chanter's tales. While a chanter's magic may seem modest compared to that of a wizard or a priest, chanters are able to recite their chants while occupied with other activities, making them extremely versatile.

 

 

Barbarians

 

come from many of the more remote cultures found across the world. In the Dyrwood, they are commonly found among Glanfathan elf communities. They are distinguished from fighters by their recklessness, ferocity, and their predilection to substitute raw aggression for discipline. Barbarians are a challenge to deal with on a battlefield, though they are vulnerable to exhaustion if they don't pace themselves.

 

 

Ciphers

 

are uncommon and often misunderstood individuals with extraordinary mental abilities. Like wizards and priests, they have many talents that draw directly from their souls, but ciphers have the unique ability to peer through the spiritual energy of the world to manipulate [/size]other ]souls. While wizards use complex formulae in large tomes and priests tap into the passion of their faith, ciphers are able to operate directly through the power of their minds... and yours.

 

 

Fighter -

 

Fighters are men and women trained to use a wide variety of traditional weapons in brutal combat. They are often put in -- or put themselves in -- harm's way and are built to take an extraordinary amount of punishment. Though not traditionally as mobile as the monk nor as likely to dish out individually withering attacks as a rogue, fighters are dependable and flexible, able to shift between a variety of attack modes that alternate between high damage, maintaining a strong defense, weakening opponents, and dealing harsh retribution to those who attack his or her allies. Some fighters build up arsenals of feints, knockdowns, and special attacks rather than rely on the “slow and steady” approach.

 

And while fighters are often thought of as being primarily melee-based, they can specialize in a variety of weapons, including bows, crossbows, and even firearms. They're unlikely to outclass rangers at their own game, but fighters can be almost as dangerous at a distance as they are up close. Though it may not look like it to see them in battle next to wizards and priests, fighters are just as able to tap into the power of their souls to devastating effect: accelerating their attacks to a superhuman speed, striking foes with such power that nearby opponents are knocked off their feet, and maintaining a phenomenal endurance that allows them to rapidly bounce back from even terrible wounds.

 

When they aren't locked in life and death struggles, fighters are, unsurprisingly, often quite athletically capable. Even so, it's not uncommon to find fighters who are stealthy and well-educated. Moving unseen and knowing how to get out of a jam can come in handy even for them.

 

 

Priest-

 

In a world with many gods, there are many different types of priests. Though the majority of priests spend their time tending to worshipers or engaged in relatively peaceful pursuits, there are ranks of dedicated adventuring or mercenary priests who have turned the flame of their faith into a spark to ignite the power of their souls. Such men and women have found a divine link to their chosen deity, but their abilities stem solely from within.

 

Dedicated to spreading the news of their gods' dominions in the realms of mortals through their own deeds, adventuring priests thrust themselves into lethal conflict to prove their worth. Often trained to fight alongside soldiers of their respective churches, priests are capable in the fray (and near the fray, for those who follow less melee-oriented faiths), but their true power comes from their prayers, faith-inspired miracles that aid their allies and punish their enemies. These miracles range from combat blessings, weapon enchantments, and protective barriers to divine summons, sanctified wards, and crippling curses. In many ways, the prayers of priests have almost as much variety as wizards spells, though priests are restricted to invoking prayers that are aligned with their faith. Additionally, priests often specialize in the weapons, armor, and litanies of prayers most beloved by their church. Thus, the multitude of gods produces a multitude of different priests, each with their own unique array of abilities.

 

Most priests are church-educated and are widely versed in many types of lore. However, some priests get by on pure faith alone, having little knowledge of the world around them. Such battle priests often lean more heavily on their athletic abilities when they are in the field.

 

 

Rogue-

 

Contrary to what their name might imply, rogues come from many walks of life. They are cutpurses, thugs, and courtesans but also aristocrats, diplomats, and personal guards. Often separated by station in life, they are united by their reliance on wits, speed, and subterfuge to achieve their goals. The way of the rogue is not to stand toe-to-toe with the biggest brute in the room and exchange body blows, but to glance away in feigned confusion and slip an unseen blade between the brute's ribs as he turns his attention. When a room explodes in a storm of fire, the fighters grit their teeth, the priests pray for salvation, and the wizards fumble to find a spell to protect them, but the rogues just... disappear. They excel at being in the one place where no one's looking, at kicking people when they're down, at taunting a foe into turning its back on the rogue's ally while he or she nimbly skips away, and at being just too damned slippery to pin down.

 

Whether they pack a pair of daggers, a fine rapier, a slim bow, a stubby pistol, or a brutish club, rogues haul a carnival of pain with them wherever they go. If their natural tendencies weren't dangerous enough, their affinity for skullduggery allows some talented rogues to tap into their souls to perform amazing stunts: fading from view in plain sight, briefly cloaking their allies in a veil of shadow, imbuing their weapons with a soul-eating venom, or even becoming so insubstantial that blades barely hurt them.

 

While rogues are known for their stealthy nature both in and out of battle, many of them are quite talented with machines and contraptions of all sorts. High-born rogues are often very knowledgeable about esoteric, while many low-born rogues are well-equipped to survive in the wild.

 

 

Wizard -

 

Widely respected in most societies, wizards of Project Eternity are men and women of high education and extreme mental discipline, if not always outright intelligence. Wizards are sometimes called navigators of the mortal soul, charting out and practicing the precise ways in which “ordinary” people can unlock the power inside of themselves. Using their knowledge to truly spectacular ends, wizards rely not only on ancient practices but also their own research to propel them forward. Far from being occult or protected knowledge, most wizards' spells are just so incredibly complex and physically demanding that even practiced wizards cannot invoke them without the use of expensive, specially-enchanted tomes.

 

And what do the tomes contain? Instructions on ways to use one's soul to alter reality, to warp time around enemies, to make skin as tough as stone, to counter even the most powerful magic, to invoke balls of flame, bolts of lightning, gouts of acid, to conjure nightmares out of thin air. Truly, the possibilities open to wizards seem to exceed even those of what priests can call upon through their faith. And though any wizard may prepare several tomes, an inexperienced caster is not capable of channeling power through the log-thick, anvil-heavy, dog-eared grimoires of wizened archmagi. Such novices must alternate between more modest selections, relying on their less demanding spells and talents when they are unable to call upon their tomes.

 

Wizards are often assumed to be masters of occult lore. While this certainly applies to their knowledge of spells, many wizards are so narrowly-focused that they are ignorant of outside culture and history. It is also not uncommon for wizards to delight as much in mechanical curiosities as rogues. Because their powers make them targets in battle, a surprising number of wizards are quite fit, even if they aren't particularly strong.

 

Not as much official word on the Druid, Ranger or Monk. There is some information of Forton the Monk but nothing about the actual Class, same thing with Sagani the Ranger (check the references, something might be said in an interview or whatnot):

 

October 12 2012

http://www.pcgamer.c...dian-live-chat/

Josh Sawyer:

we're actually pretty early in developing the companion ideas and i want to work more with george and avellone on fleshing out their story arcs. i don't remember the order in which each class was unlocked, but one of them was forton, the monk. forton is a big believer in mortification of the flesh. and the use of mind-expanding drugs. we won't be having companions for every single class, but that's one of the reasons we wanted to develop the adventurer's hall. that will allow you to supplement/build your party however you would like.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Osvir

[Karkarov]

Ok so this thread is a bit meta gamey cause it assumes all things will be available via companions and or we don't know who all the companions are at this point. Be that as it may lets assume this is icewind dale time and I have to make my own party from scratch.

 

1: MC Male Human Fighter - Focused on offensive combat. Use a two handed sword. This is always my main character concept in these games. Attacks largest melee threat first.

2: Male Aumaua Paladin - Sword and Board, mostly tank with some support and healing skills. Good ol' trusty companion if there ever was, primary tank.

3: Female Human Ranger - Long ranged combat with bow, possibly some control skills but mostly offense. Party trap checker/lock picker, if possible. Targets casters first.

4: Female Elven Priest - Heavy Armor, may see some melee, but primary party healer and buffs mostly. In combat is focused on support of the melee.

5: Female Elven Wizard - Heh... Aoe focus, 100% about damage with some debuffing for specific tough enemy situations. Primary goal is killing all the weaker mobs fast.

6: Male Godlike Cipher - I am hoping they turn out to be a mix of damage and buffing. Primary role will be neutralizing enemy casters alongside the ranger and softening enemies.

 

Depending on how Ciphers turn out #6 may become a Male Human Druid and the Ranger gets turned into a godlike. Gotta have at least one ya know?

Edited November 7, 2012 by Karkarov

[Elerond]

Male Chanter (Human or godlike) - named as Väinämöinen - speciality sang enemies to swamp and sword play

Female Wizard (Elf) - named Alarielle - speciality long ranged (including missle weapons) damage and heavy armours

Male Roque/Ranger (Human/Elf/Godlike) - named Elerond - speciality stealth, wizard killing, light armours, guns, sword play

Male Monk (Human) - named Jolker Melchiotto - speciality close ranged combat and enemy distracting

Female Cipher (Orlan/Elf/Amuaua) - named Nimue - speciliaty enemy disabling and diplomacy

Female Fighter/Paladin/Barbarian (Human/Godlike/Amuaua) - Rachel - speciality pickpocketing, medium armours and exotic weapons

Edited November 7, 2012 by Elerond

[freche]

A) Fighter, Offensive Semi-Tank

B) Paladin, Support Tank

C) Rogue, Damage & Trickster

D) Chanter, (too early to decide role, depends on Priest & Paladin)

E) Priest, Support Semi-Tank

F) Wizard, Damage & little CC

 

(Support can be either defensive or offensive, can't say without knowing abilities)

 

[F] B - D - _

[F] A - F - E

[F] _ - C - _

 

Damage soakers in the front and the tankish priest in the back to defend the more squishier party members from any direction.

Keeping all members at melee / close range for quick re-position.

Edited November 7, 2012 by freche

[anubite]

My entire team would probably consist of very unusual characters - hopefully. And by that, I mean that, I hope Obsidian will allow some degree of flexibility in character development.

 

Barbarian mage-tank - Lots of tough brawn to soak up damage, stands in the front of the fray, uses weapons defensively (parry dagger/sword + shield). Casts wild spells from his location in the fray. These spells are probably very chaotic and perhaps have random supportive effects, or are also harmful, could be a blood-mage (uses life to cast spells) and the spells he uses are boosted by his high strength (or synergize with it).

 

Ranger-reaver - Survivalist/hunter who attacks quickly/wildly with a hatchets, either by throwing them as enemies approach, or by dual/single wielding them in close range. Has good accuracy, good evasion/dodge rate, decent damage potential, a semi-tank. An all-around character who is both ranged/melee and light-support, setting/disarming traps. May have a wolf-pet.

 

Warrior anti-magic/witch hunter - A superstitious tribal warrior who hates magic? Never casts spells. Focuses on countering magical attackers and protecting the party from them. High life, medium damage, probably uses a staff as a physical weapon (and not a supplemental magical conduit). Probably uses light/medium armor and not plate/chain. Doesn't really focus on parrying attacks or defending against fighters, since he's entirely zealous about fighting mages/witches/similar-type foes. Fast and brutal.

Druid - Sling/bow user. Focused on weapon damage with their sling/bow, but also uses supportive spells and has a pet of some kind. Largest contribution is auras/buffs.

Monk - Unarmed fighter, but focused on providing support through buffs/auras or debuffs/stuns/incapacitations.

 

Probably a few more characters, but I'd focus on doing weird things like a mage that focuses on sword damage or a warrior that focuses on using spells.

 

It's really hard to say though, even knowing what classes will be available. We have no idea what possive active skills there will be for each class.

[Osvir]

It's really hard to say though, even knowing what classes will be available. We have no idea what possive active skills there will be for each class.

 

Just think of any of the IE games (PS:T, IWD, BG), should suffice. Great material from all

 

Hmm... If I were an enemy it seems I would be focusing on taking down the support role or the High DPS role first and try to keep the Tank busy as much as possible at the same time.

[jivex5k]

Kiting is one of the ways I beat everything.

Edited November 7, 2012 by jivex5k

[Osvir]

Very true jivex. But I recall spells that renders your kiting almost impossible, Horror spells, sleep spells, slow poison spells etc. etc. giving you little choice to finish what you started. If you run away that 1 Horrified companion will be engulfed under the horde of goblins that are coming in around the corner.

 

I did kite the entire Bandit Camp in Baldur's Gate (solo) with an Archer type character though (I advocate that a 6 Party Ranger in Baldur's Gate might be one of the most powerful combinations you can use, granted you specialize some of them in different close-range weapons and styles to attack some immune enemies). I think generally the Longbow type character did most damage out of all classes, always at a safe distance, and never out of ammo.

 

Should long-range weapons/Archer class be nerfed?

Edited November 7, 2012 by Osvir

[Alexjh]

I've completed Icewind Dale 2, which is the best model for total party creation, far too many times for my own good but I try to go for a different setup each time just to try - playthroughs I remember:

 

Most Recent:

Ranger (Wild Elf) (front liner, occassional magic like entangle)

Monk (Human) (front liner, occassionally "sniping" certain opponents by running over and using quivering palm)

Cleric of Lathander (Gold Dwarf) (on the front line but using animate dead to pad out the team, healing and some buffing)

Wizard (Human) (buffing with emotion: hope and mass haste, using stuff like cloudkill and fireball to kill the weaker foes en masse, managed to disintegrate the black dragon)

 

Co-op Playthough with my Girlfriend (who had a barbarian and a wizard)

Rogue (halfling) (sniping mages/priority targets at range with bow)

Cleric/Fighter (frontline backup, buffing/healing)

 

Also

Just "Gnomdar the Barbarin" a ridiculous barbarian gnome with no notable intelligence, charisma or wisdom who just chopped everything with an axe. Finished at level 27. Took over ten years of inworld time due to all the resting without a healer in the party.

 

I don't really stick to one class, I think I've finished the game with every class at some point except maybe sorcerer?

[freche]

This is all depending on what abilities and spells will be available. But inspired by how my BG2 team usually ends up.

 

A) Wizard, Tank

B) Fighter, Damage

C) Barbarian, Damage

D) Rogue, Damage

E) Priest, Heal Support, Semi Tank

 

F) Chanter, Support, Damage Wannabie

F) Wizard, Damage

 

(F can be different depending on what you think you need or what kind of party members you like)

 

[F] A - C - _

[F] B - F - E

[F] _ - D - _

 

 

Fighter at front to take a few hits while Wizard casts tank spells (if not pre-casting).

Wizard is un-kill-able for a little while, so the team unloads while tank spells are active.